Strange how perceptions differ. When I grew up I had to dial a rotary phone to make a call (to connect via audio VR to another person) and it was very expensive to dial long distance. Our family always made sure to not stay on the phone very long in order save money.
Today I can make a free video phone call (or very nearly free, through Skype) anywhere in the world with one click of a mouse.
A pessimist would say, that nothing has really changed...a phone call is just a phone call...you deluding yourself if you call that progress.
I call it substantial technological progress. The progress seems to have been dramatic in my life, across multiple industries and technologies.
In my opinion immortality is not in the same category as making a video phone call.
This delusion is what I'm trying to warn you about.
Some of us have no clue how tricky and unpredictable the human body is.
The human body is not a primitive PC or a car.
If you go to the doctor in most cases he/she has no clue what is going on in your body. Doctors are using statistical guessing and the "make no harm" rule to treat you in most cases.
To make it simple: the iconic "20 years" is my problem here and now, not the undeniable pace of technological development.
We are seriously underestimating the technological challenge of immortality.
My goal is the same as yours, but I think we are just waiting for the miracle to happen.
We must try harder.
I agree that the human body is very complex and we can't cure aging with our current technology or anything near our current technology in the next 100 years, that's why i have so little faith in programs like SENS.
But i do believe that creating strong AIs will bring unforeseen development. There's a good chance we will create strong AI in this century (likely in the first half), and that's where my and Kurzweil's hopes are.